DENVER – A 22-year-old man was sentenced last week to 48 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to counts related to him shooting at Douglas County sheriff's deputies from a stolen car in November 2018.
Peirce Langewisch, 22, received the maximum possible sentence after pleading guilty in March to two counts of attempted murder of a police officer and one count of possession of a weapon by a previous offender as part of a plea deal. He was sentenced on Friday.
Langewisch and two other young men – Nicholas Ryan and Jason Sutton – had been in a stolen car that evening taking things from people’s mailboxes and cars when a deputy saw them run a red light on South Broadway, which led to a pursuit.
Langewisch was in the backseat of the car, and as they fled down C-470 and through neighborhoods, he fired at deputies before the car crashed on Dry Creek Road near I-25 after deputies used a PIT maneuver.
Five deputies fired at the car after the crash, and Ryan was shot and killed. Sutton was injured by the gunfire, while Langewisch was not injured. The deputies were all found to have used reasonable force in the shooting and did not face charges.
Sutton was sentenced to three years in prison under a plea agreement. Prosecutors had asked for the maximum sentence for Langewisch, telling the judge that he would continue to commit crimes if he were released. Langewisch has also pleaded guilty to criminal mischief and failure to register as a sex offender in separate case since the shooting occurred, according to court records.
“This defendant has made his intentions clear: As soon as he is released, he plans to go out and do the exact same kinds of things that put him behind bars,” said Deputy District Attorney Joel Zink, who prosecuted the case. “There is no remorse, contrition or any interest in rehabilitation on his part. The maximum sentence allowed is appropriate.”